This can’t be a coincidence, right?
I’m sorry for writing about something other than photography (and occasionally cars), but these past days have been quite incredible.
First off, I’ve been considering getting a Steam Deck for at least a year. I’m not a fan of newer games. I wanted something that allowed me to play Diablo 2: Resurrected in my spare time, but without having to sit in front of a monitor.
A few weeks ago, Blizzard pushed an update to Diablo 2: Resurrected that made it impossible to play on a Mac, via Crossover. This was the sign I needed it was time to get a Steam Deck. Sadly, Valve doesn’t manufacture the LCD version, so I had to look for one on the second hand market.
It didn’t take me long to find a 64 GB version, with a 512 GB microSD card for around €295 or $350 in mint condition. I quickly installed Battle.net and D2R on it and I was on my way. I didn’t mind the console controls, since the first D2R gameplay experience was on my PS4.
But things really took a turn yesterday when I found out Blizzard updated D2R with a new character class, gameplay changes and new items. The expansion is called Reign of the Warlock and costs €25, which is not bad at all.
But the real surprise was that Blizzard actually put the game on Steam. This means no more convoluted installations for new players. The cost of getting the whole game and the expansion? €40. Which might actually convince me to buy D2R for a third time (PS4, Battle.net already), just to have it run natively on the Steam Deck.
What would you do? Keep running D2R via Battle.net and buy the expansion for €25 or simply get the whole thing for €40 and not worry about issues that might come with future updates?
PS: Taking and sharing screenshots with the Steam Deck feels quite elegant. Press the Steam + R1 buttons, then hit Share and Send to smartphone. If you have the Steam app on your phone, you’ll get a notification once it gets the screenshot. I like that.
